Fresh Frozen Fish
by RetroCaboose
Summary: James is back at it again, pulling the Flying Kipper. This time through deep snow. His arrogance may or may not get the best of him, but he is a good engine at heart. (To be continued)
1. Chapter 1

It was a cold winter night on the Island of Sodor. Snow had just begun to fall and the engines were happily asleep in their sheds and sidings. The wind howled around Tidmouth Sheds as the engines happily began to fall asleep waiting for the snow to stop.

The clock struck midnight when Sir Topham Hatt came up to the sheds with Winston instead of his regular car.

"Hello everyone," he greeted as Winston skidded to a stop on the icy rails, "As you may have noticed, the roads are snowed over. I fear the same for my tracks. So I will have Murdoch, Hiro, Hank, Gordon, and Emily clear the line for the rest of you once the snow stops."

Gordon and Emily happily whistled, eager to keep the railway running even in the snow. However Henry was disappointed. He wanted to help the other engines. After all, he was nearly as big as Gordon.

The Fat Controller noticed this and turned to him with an announcement, "I'm sorry Henry, but you must pull the Flying Kipper tonight. It's a big night."

"But sir, why can't I help clear the line?" he asked, "I'm bigger than Emily,"

"I resent that!" responded the emerald green engine.

"Sorry Henry, but you're the only one who can pull the train," responded the Fat Controller.

James saw that his friend was sad. So he inched forward out of the sheds, "Um, sir, I could pull the Flying Kipper. I've done it many times before!" he bravely volunteered.

"Oh well, Henry you may clear the line tomorrow. As for you James," he said, turning to the red engine, "Hurry down to the docks to collect your train."

"Right away sir!" he beamed as his driver and fireman equipped his snowplow and he steamed away.

The path from Tidmouth Sheds to the docks to collect the vans was mostly uneventful. James steadily backed down on the line was he was coupled up.

"Good job James," praised the dock manager, "It's a big night, do you understand?"

"Yes sir," responded James as he started off.

"Wait!" called the dock manager, "You also have to go down to Brendam Docks to go get another load. But first, unload some of the delivery at Knapford for Thomas to take it down the Ffarquhar Branchline. Once you come off of Edward's Branch, then you continue all the way to the mainland. Got it?"

"Of course I do," boasted James, "I've pulled this train before. In fact, I set a record while pulling two other broken down engines!"

"Was this before or after you delivered the fish to Percy?" mocked the fireman. The driver chuckled alongside him.

"Oh quiet. Sir Topham Hatt said that it was no one's fault," spat back James as he set off, laying down plenty of sand on the frozen tracks.

As he pulled into Knapford, James slid past the platform and completely missed it! He tried to reverse but the tracks were far too slippery.

"I'm sure nobody will mind if I leave them here. Thomas will understand that it's too icy to expect me to leave them exactly where he wants them."

"I wouldn't be so sure," said his driver, pointing into the night.

It was Thomas! He was puffing so fast that he didn't have time to stop properly, before he bumped into the vans. Luckily the fish were safe, but Thomas was thoroughly cross with James.

"What do you think you're doing!" he barked, reversing from the vans.

"Leaving," the red engine snorted.

"Rules are rules!" the tank engine had lost his patience, "You can't just leave vans all willy-nilly!"

"Grab the popcorn," said James' fireman to his driver, " Show's starting!"

"I don't have to listen to you!" responded James with fire in his eyes.

"You don't listen to anyone! You're James the Grand!" Thomas mocked.

"And don't you forget it!" responded James as he puffed away, blasting his whistle and leaving a much angrier Thomas.


	2. Chapter 2

James continued down the line with his great sense of pride. His snowplow cleared plenty of the white blankets of snow out of the way as he continued down the line with the fish vans.

"Come along, come along," he called to the train behind him.

They finally steamed into the junction at Wellsworth when Henry pulled out as well. He looked cold and exhausted from clearing piles of snow.

"Thanks for taking the Kipper, James," said the green engine, "And be careful on your way to Brendam."

"Don't mention it! I'm probably better at it than you anyways," James boasted, "Now why should I be careful?"

Henry was appalled! How dare James offer to do his job and be an arrogant engine about it!

"Never mind," he wheeshed sadly as the signal turned green and he puffed away, leaving a confused smaller engine in his wake.

James continued through the beautiful coastal line. He whistled at everyone he passed by. He soon came across Edward, who was struggling to clear some snow. He slowed down figuring that he had time before he needed to be at Brendam Docks.

"Need any help?" he asked, genuinely concerned for Edward.

"No thanks," replied Edward, "But have you seen Donald and Douglas? They're supposed to be here by now to help out clearing the snow. There's a blizzard coming you know."

"No I haven't seen the twins-"

Suddenly, two different whistles blasted from the snow, "Yes you have!" two voices chorused.

It was Bill and Ben, the tank engine twins from the Sodor China Clay Pits. They slowly stopped in front of the snow drift that Edward was trying to clear.

James rolled his eyes, "Not you two…"

"Yes, James" replied Edward, straining against the snow, "They're coming to spend time with BoCo and I up at the sheds in Wellsworth. The quarry master wants to clear out the Clay Pits so that the engines don't get trapped."

"That's right Eddie," said Ben, "And Timothy and Marion are coming up after they finish up work."

"I don't have time for your antics," snorted James as he steamed away on his way to pick up the rest of the fish.


	3. Chapter 3

James pridefully steamed into Brendam Docks. The cold air hung over him with the stench of fish.

Porter had arrived to shunt some vans into place at the end of James' train. He was the only other engine at the docks.

"Where's Salty?" asked James as he steamed to a stop.

"Salty's in the dieselworks today, Red," said the tank engine, "This frost ain't so good for a diesel like him, that's for sure!"

"Oh pah," snorted James, "He needs to toughen up and deal with it."

"That's bad karma for you James," said Cranky from above, "You never know when something might get you back for that remark."

"He's right," added Porter as he shunted a brakevan into place at the end of the train.

"Pish-posh!" exclaimed James, "I don't believe in that mumbo jumbo."

With a loud whistle, he puffed out of the station and into the night. His sleek red snowplow cut through the rapidly piling snow as he continued to Wellsworth Station.

Once again, he passed Edward, who was still struggling with the snowbank from earlier. The blue engine struggled and groaned as he tried to push the snow away.

James smirked as an idea flew into his funnel. With a blast of his whistle, he tore through a pile of snow and tossed it up into the air.

Poor Edward was now freezing cold. His fire had gone out and he could barely call for help as James laughed and left him behind.

He playfully slipped down the rails, stopping at just the right place to launch himself forward as soon as he started up again.

Every house in the countryside woke up as James whistled loudly and laughed by. But his fun would soon be over as he pulled out of Wellsworth.

 **Short chapter, yes I know. Sorry :P. My computer took quite the beating and now I don't have one. (Note to self: Phones aren't good for typing stories.) So see you soon again when I have a computer**

 **-RC**


	4. Chapter 4

"Oh dear," thought BoCo, as he passed by on his way to the sheds. What have we here? A snow engine?"

"Very funny," groaned Edward, "James blew a bunch of snow on top of me. Now I'm stuck."

"We'll have you out soon guys," called BoCo's driver to Edward's crew.

They soon were pulled out of Edward's cab and brought to Wellsworth for some hot cocoa. Edward was shunted into a warm shed while they restarted his fire.

As he rested, Edward heard a loud whistle from the hill outside of Wellsworth. Then, Edward saw James struggling with his train. Edward decided to go out and help him.

"Having trouble?" he asked as he pulled up alongside James.

"No. Of course not. Go away," scoffed the red engine, "I can get up a hill by myself."

Edward decided to just leave James to pull the train up Gordon's Hill. After all, he had been rude earlier by not helping with clearing snow. So Edward backed away and went back to his shed to rest.

James laid down a pile of sand and charged up at the hill. Then he had barely climbed it before the vans held him back. He struggled to keep going even as he slipped backwards.

"Come on," he muttered, "I can do this! I've done it before!"

As he repeated his charge up the hill, he soon realised that his train was going lighter than it had been before. He slowly inched over the summit and prepared to coast down the ice.

But suddenly, he heard the trucks, "Now! Now!"

They had been keeping James from getting over the hill until now. But the constant jerking on ice, and the strain on the couplings allowed them to break free. They flew down the rails and passed Edward.

"James!" cried Edward, "Your train!"

"I know!" responded James as he raced backwards after the train.

They rounded the bend through the snow. As the vans tipped over off the icy tracks and into the snow, James shot past them. He was now unable to stop!

"Use your sandboxes!" called Edward from the shed.

"I can't!" replied James. With a loud 'crash' he flew off the tracks and into the pile of snow.

His driver and firemen had jumped clear but James and the fish vans were badly damaged. Edward came by to help out. BoCo had brought a breakdown team as well.

"This hill really doesn't like you, huh, James?" Rocky said smugly. The crane had remembered James' past accident at Gordon's Hill.

"Might as well call this part James' Slope!" laughed Edward.

James was fuming, "Oh shut it! I don't want to be stuck here when-"

At that moment, Thomas puffed by with his part of the mail train. The tank engine could barely contain his laughter at the predicament before him.

"That's karma for you!" he chuckled as he disappeared as quickly as he arrived.

"Why that little-" James was cut off once more.

"He's right you know. I hear that you've been stirring up plenty of trouble," said Rocky.

"What?" asked the red engine, taken aback, "I'm a saint!"

"Who buries people as well," muttered Edward.

"It was a harmless joke!"

"But there are always repercussions for foul deeds." said Edward, and with that he silently pulled James away on a flatbed.

 **Well then, I guess this is it. I figured it would end with James getting his comeuppance. I will probably follow this up with something to tie this up.**

 **-R.C.**


End file.
